


The Greatest Love Story

by lovetoflip



Category: Blake Gwen, Blake Shelton (Musician), Gwen Stefani - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:02:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 14,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22053727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovetoflip/pseuds/lovetoflip
Summary: This is MY VERSION of blake and gwen going through their divorces, meeting, and falling in love. This is going to be a long story so i will upload each chapter as i finish them. Let me know what you think!
Relationships: Blake Shelton/Gwen Stefani
Comments: 20
Kudos: 55





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Notes: This story is something I dreamt up last night. I just started watching this season of the voice and discovered how cute this couple is so when I had the dream, I decided I had to get it out. Things to know prior to reading,
> 
> -This story begins right after Blake and Gwen's divorces from Gavin and Miranda and is my version of them getting together (NOT the real story)
> 
> -I took some liberties such as including assuming they're divorces occurred at the same time, much of the story is my own creation based off what I have read about them
> 
> -At the beginning of the story, Gwen is still living in her house with the boys and Gavin is living in a hotel

Gwen awoke to the sound of the back door to her home clattering shut. She sat up in bed as she heard glass breaking downstairs. She got up and put her robe on as she headed for the bedroom door. The noises continued as whoever it was stumbled through her house. She headed down the stairs slowly with her eldest son's baseball bat in her hand. Once getting to the bottom of the stairs, she saw the familiar head of her soon to be ex-husband, clearly drunk as he stumbled around the kitchen.

"What on earth are you doing here Gavin? Its 3am." Gwen startled him as spoke from the doorway.

He turned around a little too quickly and became disoriented as he looked for her in the darkness of the house.

"I came to see you baby". His slurred words, barely intelligible, clearly very drunk.

"Shh. You need to be quiet or you're going to wake the boys." He stumbled towards her as she spoke, closing the distance between the two of them. She backed up into the door frame as he neared to allow him to pass but he didn't.

"Well we wouldn't want that". He stopped directly in front of her, so close she could smell the whiskey on his breath as he spoke.

She placed her hand on his chest and pushed him back a few inches, attempting to slip out of the doorway but he stopped her, wrapping his arm around her waist.

"Gavin, what are you doing here? How did you get here? Did you drive?" Gwen pulled herself from his grasp and walked around to the other side of the couch to create some distance. He tracked her movement and voice with his eyes, his responses slow as the alcohol coursed through his body.

"Oh don't worry your pretty little head about me baby." His words slow and slurred. "I came to see you…. And my boys." He began to stumble around the couch towards her again and she realized there was no way he could get back to his hotel safely tonight. She put her hands up and grabbed his shoulders to stop him from getting too close again or from falling over.

"You can stay in the guest bedroom tonight but will be out of here before the boys get up in the morning". As much as she hated him for what he did to her and their family, he was still the father of her children and the love of her life for 13+ years.

He didn't respond to her but stared at her for a few seconds before bending over and throwing up on the floor and her bare feet. Gwen looked down at the puke, then back up at her idiot of an ex, pissed beyond belief that he would do this to her after everything else.

"Okay let's get you upstairs" She led him up the stairs and opened the guest room door, pushing him in and pulling the door shut behind her. As she turned to make her way downstairs to clean up the mess, the bedroom door of her middle child opened, and his young face appeared in the doorway, blinking blearily into the light of the hallway.

"Mama?" His little voice broke the now silence in the house.

"Shit." She whispered under her breath. "It's okay Zum-Zum go back to sleep." She walked into his room, tucked him back into bed, and kissed him goodnight. She quietly walked out of the room, praying her 7-year-old would go back to sleep peacefully.

She walked down the stairs and began cleaning up the puke and glass on her floor, letting the tears roll down her face as she thought about the events of the last few months. Once the kitchen and living room were returned to the order they were in prior to this infuriating situation, she made her way back up the stairs with some Tylenol, a glass of water, and a waste bin. She listened closely outside of Gavin's door to make sure he had gone to sleep, slowly opened the door, and crept in the room. He was laying on the bed, fully clothed, and apparently sleeping. Gwen placed the Tylenol and glass of water on the bedside table and the waste bin on the floor next to his bed and turned to leave. Gavin suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her back toward him, throwing her off balance, she stumbled and caught herself with the other hand on the bed.

"Stop Gavin!" Gwen ripped her hand from his grip as Apollo began to wail from across the hall. "Go to sleep or I will throw your ass out right now." She raised her voice at him and stormed out of the room, shutting the door behind her. She leaned against the door, exhaling heavily, gathering herself and setting off in pursuit of her baby.

"Aww its okay 'Pollo. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." She picked up her two-year-old and soothed him as she walked toward her bedroom. She crawled into her bed, placing Apollo on her chest and stroking his hair as he fell back asleep. She allowed the tears to roll down her face again, staring at the ceiling, willing herself to go to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Gwen woke up at 5:30am to the buzzing of her phone alarm under her pillow. She carefully slid Apollo off her chest and onto the bed next to her. She placed the pillows on both sides of him and tucked the covers around him. She got in the shower and began getting ready for the workday, hoping the boys would sleep until at least 7 so she could get their father out the door unseen.

After showering, getting dressed, and running a brush through her hair, she determined she looked good enough to walk through set and get to her trailer. She laughed at herself as she grabbed a hat and thought about how much her standards had dropped since that fateful day she walked in on Gavin. She used to get up and put on makeup and do her hair every morning only to get to set and have the hair and makeup artists completely redo it for the show. Now she barely has the energy to drag herself out of her bed. If she didn’t have three boys that relied on her for everything, she would spend the entire day under the covers watching reality TV and crying.

She walked to the guest bedroom door, took a deep breath, and steeled herself for dealing with her ex again. She opened the door and stepped into the doorway but no further, she didn’t want him to touch her again.

 _“Gavin”_ She whisper shouted, trying not to wake the boys. He didn’t move. _“Gavin, get up. You need to go.”_ She tried again. He began to move, his eyes opened and slowly found their way to hers.

 _“What time is it?”_ He asked her as he began to sit up in bed, attempting to orient himself as he did not remember anything after 9pm including coming to their house.

_“Shh. The boys are still asleep. It’s 6:30 and you need to get out of here before they get up.”_

_“What… no family breakfast and goodbye kiss like always?”_

_“You gave all that up the second you started sleeping with that slut, Gavin. I am going downstairs to start making the boys’ breakfast, I expect you downstairs and out the door in 5 minutes.”_ Gwen turned and walked down the hallway toward the stairs, proud of herself for staying firm and in the doorway.

Ten minutes later, Gavin came down the stairs slowly, holding his head, and walked into the kitchen where Gwen was. He started to walk towards her, and she looked up, noticing his presence in the room.

 _“Stop right there Gavin.”_ She stated tightly. He froze and his eyes traveled down to her hands which held a butter knife in one and a piece of toast in the other.

_“Come on now baby. How long are you going to stay mad at me? I am your husband.”_

_“No Gavin. We are getting divorced, you are not my husband anymore._ ”

“ _Gweny”._ He stepped closer to her.

 _“No, stop. You don’t get to call me that anymore. I have thrown you out once, don’t make me do it again. You need to go.”_ His eyes got dark and he walked toward her angrily. She stepped back, knife and toast in hand, trying to maintain a distance between them. He grabbed both her wrists and pulled her towards him so his face was inches from hers.

_“Fine Gwen but I am still your husband. And when I am not hungover as hell with a killer headache, I am going to come back and we are going to makeup because we are not getting divorced. I will not allow it. Those are my children, and you are my wife. We are married and you swore in front of god and everyone that we would be together forever. That means something to this family.”_

She tried to pull her wrists from his grip but he held on tighter, she purposefully looked up the stairs, reminding her that their children were right upstairs. He let go of her roughly and turned, grabbing his coat, heading for the back door, slamming it behind him. Gwen broke down, leaning into the cabinets behind her and slowly, sliding to the floor. She pulled her knees to her chest, dropping the knife and toast on the floor next to her, crying silently into her hands.

 _“Mom?”_ Her head snapped up to her eldest son, Kingston, standing on the bottom stair looking at her.

 _“Oh Kingston.”_ She wiped her face and stood, pulling herself together. _“What are you doing up? Its only 6:50.”_ She threw the toast in the trash and the knife in sink as she spoke to him, avoiding his gaze and returning to making breakfast.

 _“I heard the door slam so I came down to see what was going on._ ” He walked towards her and sat at the stool at the end of the counter his mom was working at. _“What’s wrong, mom?”_

_“Nothing honey, it’s just been a rough morning. Can you do me a favor and go wake your brother’s up for me?”_

He eyed her suspiciously, knowing something was going on, but hopped off the stool, throwing a “sure mom” over his shoulder as he headed back toward the stairs.

She put her hands on the counter, dropping her head, internally kicking herself for letting her boys see her fall apart. She promised she wouldn’t do that when this all began and has been doing a pretty good job only falling apart in private, trying to keep things as normal as possible for the kids. But she had just scared her 9-year-old who knew nothing of what was going on other than that daddy was not living with us anymore. She wiped her eyes and straightened her skirt, finishing breakfast and carrying it to the table as she heard the boys coming down the stairs. She put on a smile and took her baby from Kingston, carrying him to his highchair.

 _“I made you guys some eggs and toast, but you guys got to eat quick because we are running late this morning.”_ She said to all her boys as she put Apollo’s toast on his highchair tray, placing a kiss on his head and going back to the counter to grab her coffee.

She started making her older boys’ lunch as they ate their breakfast, then shooed them up the stairs to get ready for school. She got Apollo ready and yelled for the boys to hurry. Kingston and Zuma ran down the stairs, grabbing their backpacks and following their mom out the door to the car. She dropped the older two at school, and Apollo at daycare, then headed to work.


	3. Chapter 3

Gwen pulled into the parking lot of “The Voice”, putting her car in park and flipping down the visor to make sure she looked presentable. She laughed at her appearance in the small mirror. She looked a wreck, very clearly someone who had cried twice already this morning and it was only 7:30. She knew she was going to have to put on her game face to make it to the trailer. They were keeping the divorce between the family for now, trying to give the kids time to adjust before the media had a field day with it. She pulled herself together as best she could and tried to fix what she could with makeup, pulled her hat on, and climbed out of her escalade. She walked toward her trailer with her head down, pretending to be engrossed in something on her phone, responding quickly to the people that greeting her as she passed without looking up much to avoid suspicion. Finally reaching her trailer, she closed the door and sunk into the couch, exhaling loudly at finally being alone and safely out of everyone’s view.

She sat there for a few minutes, relaxing with her eyes closed, before getting up and starting to get dressed in the outfit left on the door for her by Tanya, her stylist. Twenty minutes later, her makeup and hair stylists came in to help her finish getting ready and were not too suspicious of anything, at least, they didn’t act like it today. It was day 1 of knockouts so she had to be on her A game today. As Sam, her hair stylist, was putting the finishing touches on her hair, there was a knock on the trailer door.  
_“Come in!”_ She yelled, unable to get up to answer. She watched in the mirror as her assistant came in.

 _“Hey Gwen, sorry to bother you while you’re getting ready but I just got a call from the daycare. Apollo has a fever and is throwing up so he needs to be picked up. I can run and get him for you but I wasn’t sure what you wanted me to do with him once I got him.”_ She explained as she walked into the singer’s vision.

_“Can my mom take him?”_

_“No, I already called and she is out of town.”_

_“Damn. Alright well I guess bring him here and I’ll just have to figure something out. Can you call that baby sitter we used last time and see if she can come just entertain him in my trailer for a few hours while we tape?”_

_“Yeah no problem. I’ll call her on the way to the daycare. I should be back in like half an hour, do you need anything before I go?”_

_“No, I’m good for now. Thank you!”_

She exited the trailer, then poked her head back in the door before it closed and said “ _Gwen the other coaches are out here on the couches and want to know when you will be joining them.”_

_“Okay tell them I’ll be right out please”_

She walked out to the couches where the other three judges were sitting, laughing about something Adam had said. They all looked up at her as she approached the couches and greeted her as she sat with them.

 _“Hey guys. What’s so funny?”_ She asked as she joined the conversation, trying to act normal and avoid questions,

 _“Oh we were just trying to cheer Blake up.”_ Adam explained. Then covered his mouth and leaned toward Gwen. _“He’s in a bit of a mood this morning.”_

 _“Shut up Adam. I am not.”_ Blake responded to the allegation.

 _“See what I mean.”_ Adam said looking at Gwen. _“Moody.”_

_“You want to tell her why Blake?” Pharrell urged._

_“I guess she is going to find out anyway.”_ Blake sighed. _“It is going to be announced soon that Miranda and I have filed for divorce.”_

Gwen’s stomach flipped at that word. Suddenly feeling as if everyone could see right through her facade. _“Really.”_ She tried to act surprised and not as flustered as she felt. _“Why?”_

 _“Because she’s a bitch and a cheater and Blake deserves better.”_ Adam answered for him.

 _“Judges to set please”_ Their conversation was interrupted as they were paged to set and they all got up to walk to their chairs. As they neared the stage, Gwen grabbed Blake’s arm and pulled him aside, letting the other two coaches continue to their chairs.

 _“I’m really sorry to hear about you and Miranda. I didn’t get the chance to say that earlier.”_ Gwen tried to convey her sadness for her coworker without giving anything away. _“I just wanted you to know that you can always talk to me if you need anything.”_

 _“Thanks Gwen.”_ Blake responded. _“I appreciate that.”_

They locked eyes for a few seconds, then continued following the other coaches to their own chairs. As Blake sat in his chair, his mind raced. He had never been close with Gwen, she was always busy with her kids when they weren’t working, so she was the judge he knew the least out of the three of them. But the way she spoke to him was like she knew what he was going through. Like she understood. She didn’t look at him with that pitying look that everyone else does that he hates. She looked at him like she completely understood everything he was going through, like she was just as broken as her. He looked down the row of coaches at her, making eye contact for a second, she smiled slightly at him then turned her attention to a crew member who had called her name.


	4. Chapter 4

After the judges were released for lunch and Gwen made her way back to her trailer, remembering Apollo should be in there with the babysitter. She opened the door to find her assistant with Gwen’s sleeping two-year-old on her chest.

_“The babysitter couldn’t come and I didn’t want to bother you, so we were just sitting in here playing and he wanted to read a book, then he fell asleep.”_ Her assistant whispered to her as she made her way to her son.

_“Aww I’m so sorry Hannah. Thank you so much for taking him though.”_ Gwen ran her fingers through the boy’s hair, frowning at the heat coming off him. _“How long has he been out?”_

_“It’s no problem at all. He is such a sweetheart.”_ Hannah smiled down at the boy and paused for second to think. _“He’s been out about an hour or so, I think.”_

_“Here.”_ Gwen reached for the boy. _“I can take him. Go take a break, get some coffee or something, on me. Thank you so much for all you did. If you could call my sister, Jen, when you get the chance and see if she could come get him I would really appreciate that.”_

_“It’s really no problem Gwen and sure, I’ll let you know what she says. Be back soon.”_ Hannah walked out of the trailer leaving Gwen alone with her sick baby.

She sat on the couch cradling him against her as he slept for a few minutes and closed her eyes, trying to relax for a little before she had to be back in front of the camera. Not five minutes later, she was startled awake by a knock at the trailer door. She stood and walked to answer it, not wanting to shout and wake up Apollo. As she swung the door open, she saw Blake standing on the other side of it.

_“Hey!”_ He greeted Gwen before seeing her sleeping son on her hip. _“Oh sorry. I didn’t know Apollo was here.”_

_“That’s okay”_ Gwen opened the door wider, allowing Blake to enter. She could smell the alcohol on his breath already. _“He’s sound asleep, running a fever.”_ She explained as she walked back toward the couch in her trailer.

_“Oh poor fella. Well I was just coming in to see why you weren’t joining the rest of the coaches on the couch for lunch but I see why now.”_

Gwen would not meet his eyes, but rather kept her attention on her son, fiddling with his hair. She was so afraid if she looked at him, he would see right through her and know everything. She had to keep it a secret for now, for her boys.

_“Yeah, I’m sorry I am going to stay in here for lunch and take care of him until my sister comes to get him.”_

_“That’s okay, I’ll leave you to it then.”_ Blake stepped towards the door, stopping with his hand on the doorknob, looking back at her one last time to see if she would meet his gaze. When she didn’t, he left silently, leaving her alone again.

An hour later, the judges were being called back to set, indicating their lunch breaks were over. Pharrell, Adam, and Blake made their way back to their chairs only to discover Gwen not in her chair, and her crying son being held by a crew member.

_“Where’s Gwen?”_ Adam asked the crew member.

_“She’s back calming one of her singers.”_ The guy explained. “ _They started freaking out for the knockouts.”_

_“Why do you have Apollo then?”_ Blake asked the man. _“Gwen said her sister was coming.”_

_“Sister’s running late. Someone from Gwen’s team handed him to me and ran off saying she had to go. I’ve never even held a kid this young before, he won’t stop crying.”_

Blake could tell the guy was starting to get flustered and figured if he didn’t intervene the situation would get worse. _“Here, I can take him.”_ He picked up Apollo and gently bounced back and forth, talking to him until he stopped crying. _“Come on buddy, let’s go find your aunt”_ Blake walked him towards Gwen’s trailer and found Gwen’s sister standing outside trying to call someone.

_“There you are Apollo, I’ve been trying to call your mommy for the last ten minutes.”_ Jen reached for the boy from Blake’s arms.

_“Yeah she had to run backstage to help one of her singers, so she doesn’t have her phone.”_ He explained handing over Apollo. _“I’m Blake by the way. I can tell Gwen that I gave him to you.”_

_“Thanks Blake. I got to run but let Gwen know that I can pick up her other two boys from school please. Tell her to take the night for herself. I know she doesn’t know how but tell her anyway please.”_ Jen told Blake as she ran off with Apollo, grabbing his diaper bag on the way out.

When Blake got back out to set, Gwen was profusely apologizing to the crew member that had watched her son. When she saw him coming, she walked over to apologize to him as well. Blake was having none of that, he beat her to it.

_“Don’t come over here and apologize to me for having a sick kid. It is completely fine. You don’t need to be apologizing to anyone. Shit happens.”_ He was a little more gruff then he had intended and realized as Gwen’s face changed that he was allowing his bad mood to creep in too much.

_“Well thank you anyway Blake. I appreciate it.”_ She said and turned, walking back to her chair. 

Blake felt terrible for the way he spoke to Gwen. He thought about it for the rest of taping. The look on her face was so defeated when she first walked up, and after he had been a little too harsh with her, she walked away looking worse for the wear. Blake decided he was going to go to her trailer after they were released and apologize to her. 

Gwen had just gotten back to her trailer and sat down to take her makeup off when there was a knock at her door. She sighed at having to deal with yet another thing, and turned, saying “come in”.

Blake came in, looking weary at first, then caught her eyes. Gwen turned back around and continued to take her makeup off, watching him cross the room and sit on the couch out of the corner of her eye in the mirror.

_“Hey, I just wanted to apologize for what I said earlier. I think I’m letting this thing with Miranda get to me too much. I’m sorry I was so harsh.”_

_“It’s okay.”_ She said without making eye contact with him. _“I know you’re going through some stuff right now.”_

_“I know we aren’t very close, but you know, whatever is you’re going through that you don’t want anyone to know about, you can tell me about. I won’t tell anyone I promise. It can’t be worse than what I’m going through.”_ Blake tried to catch her gaze in the mirror as he spoke, but she avoided his eyes vehemently.

_“It’s nothing really. Just a lot going on, you know. I’m really sorry about the whole Miranda thing though.”_ She hoped her deflection would be enough to get him to change the topic.

_“I don’t want to talk about my thing. I want to talk about whatever is bothering you. No reason we can’t go through shit together, no matter what the shit is.”_

Gwen thought about her boys as Blake spoke to her. She had promised to keep the divorce a secret, for her boys. But at this point she couldn’t see the harm in telling Blake, he would understand since he is going through the same thing. But she can’t risk the normalcy for her boys..

_“I’m getting divorced._ ” Gwen burst out, losing the internal battle with herself. _“But we aren’t telling anyone, we want the boys to adjust first. So please don’t tell anyone.”_ She took a deep breath. It felt good to be able to tell someone, anyone, who understood.

_“Oh Gwen, I’m so sorry. I won’t tell a soul, I promise.”_ Blake finally put the pieces together for all her weird behavior for the last few weeks. _“What happened?”_

_“Pretty much the same thing as you. I got home early from a trip and wanted to surprise him and the boys. I walked in and he was cheating on me. End of story.”_ She tried to stay angry while she was talking to keep from falling apart in front of Blake.

_“What an asshole._ ” Blake growled. _“Who in the hell would cheat on you? He’s an idiot, Gwen. Are you okay?”_ He asked as she appeared to be holding it together a hell of a lot better than he was, considering he had already had quite a few drinks today.

_“Yeah, I’m okay.”_ She lied to him, hoping he’d believe it.

_“Well here”_ He grabbed a napkin off the table and wrote his number down, putting the paper on the counter. _“Text me anytime you want to talk. I could sure use a friend going through the same thing. Also, your sister told me to tell you that she is picking up your oldest two from school so you should take the night for yourself. She really emphasized that last part.”_

_“Oh okay, thank you. That means she took my car, so I need to call a car. Thank you for letting me know.”_ Gwen stood, making her way to her phone on the table.

_“I can take you home if you want, don’t have to call a car. Just an option.”_

_“Are you sure?”_

_“Absolutely.”_

_“Okay, thank you. Let me just grab my stuff and I’ll meet you in five.”_ As she pulled her stuff together, Blake left, going back to his trailer to get what he needed to go home.

Five minutes later, Blake met Gwen and walked to his awaiting car. Opening the door for her and getting in after her. They rode to Gwen’s home mostly in silence, looking out the window, enjoying the ride, and the company of one another. When they pulled up to her house, there was a car parked in her driveway.

_“Is that your sister’s car?”_ Blake asked, looking over to Gwen.

_“No.”_ Her eyes darkened as she stared at the car out the window. _“It’s Gavin’s.”_


	5. Chapter 5

_“Gavin’s here?”_ Blake asked, realizing that the look on Gwen’s face meant she was not expecting him. _“Is he supposed to be here?”_

 _“No, I kicked him out last week.”_ She responded, eyes still frozen to his car in her driveway. _“But he came back drunk last night and he said he would be back when he sobered up.”_

 _“He threatened you?”_ Blake was getting more worried as she sat frozen to her spot. She didn’t respond to him. _“How ‘bout I go in with you?”_

 _“No Blake, that’s okay, you don’t have to.”_ She finally broke her gaze, turning to him. _“You already drove me home. I’ll be fine.”_

 _“You’re crazy if you think you’re going in there alone.”_ Blake unbuckled his seat belt and climbed out of the back of the SUV. _“Come on, I’m coming with you.”_ He walked around the car, meeting her on the other side, and walked toward the door together.

Gwen unlocked the door, her hands trembling as she fumbled with the key. She pushed it open, stepping into the dark house with Blake right behind her, his hand on her lower back. She flipped the lights in the kitchen on to reveal Gavin sitting at a chair at the table, waiting for her.

 _“Gwen, after our discussion this morning, I can’t believe you would bring a guy home with you.”_ Gavin stood as he spoke and walked toward her. When Gwen didn’t move or respond, Blake nudged her with his hand on her back, causing her to step forward and slightly to the side, allowing him to stand next to her, across from her soon to be ex-husband.   
_“What are you doing here Gavin?”_ Blake asked looking to Gwen who was still staring at Gavin.

 _“Thanks for driving her home big guy, now why don’t you leave so me and my wife can have a private conversation?”_ Gavin sneered at him almost tauntingly.

 _“She doesn’t want you here, Gavin. I think she has made that pretty clear.”_ Blake towering over Gavin even from a few feet away. _“I think you should go.”_

 _“Really? She hasn’t asked me to leave. Just you have, and you don’t live her. Gwen honey, do you want me to leave.”_ Blake and Gavin both looked to Gwen who had still not moved.

 _“Gwen.”_ Blake said her name again, snapping her out of her daze.

 _“Yes, Gavin. Leave now.”_ She stated firmly, staring him down.

 _“Baby, that’s not how you should talk to your husband in front of company.”_ His anger began to grow, stepping towards her.

 _“She was clear that time buddy. Time to go._ ” Blake tried again. But Gavin persisted, stepping towards Gwen again, reaching for her arm, but she stepped back, out of his reach. Blake took this opportunity to put himself between Gavin and Gwen. This angered Gavin more.

 _“Fine, Gwen. You want me to go so you can cheat on me, that’s fine. I will leave but I will come back when he is gone. And I will forgive you for cheating on me. And then we can fix this marriage.”_ He stared Gwen down as he spoke.

 _“No, Gavin. We aren’t going to fix this. Get out.”_ Gavin turned and left out the back door. As Blake heard the sound of the door shutting, he turned to Gwen who was now turned, facing the sink, hands covering her face.

 _“Gwen.”_ He tried. _“Gwen.”_ When she still didn’t respond, he walked toward her, turning her around and pulling her in, hugging her tight as silent tears rolled down her face. _“Shh. It’s okay, he’s gone. He’s gone.”_ He held on to her until she stopped crying, letting go when she started to move. She wiped her face with her hands.

_“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to fall apart like that. Thank you for your help.”_

_“Don’t apologize for crying. I don’t know how you’ve kept it so together thus far. I certainly can’t. And I don’t have to deal with the asshole that you do.”_ She laughed lightly at the last part, wiping her eyes again _. “You know, I have a guest bedroom, you can come stay at my place for the night if you want. I definitely don’t think you should stay here.”_ He looked at her as he spoke. He could see she was just as broken as he was.

Although Gwen refused to stay anywhere else, saying she would be fine at her house alone, Blake was worried. He regretfully agreed and left, telling her to call him if she changed her mind or he came back. While he wished she would change her mind and come over to his house, he didn’t expect her to, he knew how independent she was. It wasn’t until 12:30 am when he was halfway through a bottle, that his phone dinged. He fished it out of his pocket to see who it was, discovering Gwen had used the napkin he gave her.

_12:30am Thank you for your help today. It was very appreciated. -Gx_

_12:32am No problem. It’s nice to have someone to go through it with._

_12:35am Yes, it is. Sucks we have to go through it at all. -Gx_

_12:39am Yes, it does. That’s why they make alcohol._

They continued to text until after 2 am, when Gwen finally fell asleep. The next morning they both got up and went into work, excited to see one another. When Gwen got to her trailer, she began getting ready as usual, surprised to hear a knock at the door this early.

 _“Come in”._ She yelled at the door.

 _“Howdy Gwen”._ Blake smiled as he walked in, going to the couch and sitting.

They talked for an hour while she got ready, simply enjoying the company of a friend, sharing stories back and forth, comforting one another over a terrible life event. Eventually Blake had to go back to his own trailer to get ready for the show, but they both enjoyed talking and decided to meet up for a drink after the show to finish their conversation since Gwen’s ex had the kids tonight.


	6. Chapter 6

After the show, they Blake went to Gwen’s trailer with a bottle of wine and two glasses. He raised his hand to knock on her door but stopped when he heard her crying through the door. He knocked but didn’t wait for a response and walked in the door. She didn’t hear the door open, lost in her own thoughts, not realizing he was in the room until he caught a glimpse of movement in the mirror. She looked up and saw it was Blake, quickly wiped her eyes, and turned to look at him.

_“Oh my gosh, I completely forgot we were going to get a drink tonight.”_

_“What happened?”_ He asked ignoring her mention of the drink. She turned back away from him, grabbing a tissue off her vanity, drying her eyes.

_“I’m sorry, I’m not going to be any fun tonight. Why don’t we just do it another night?”_

_“Gwen, I don’t care about the stupid drink. Did something happen with Gavin?”_ He tried a more direct route, thinking it would get him a more direct answer.

_“Oh nothing out of the ordinary. Just Gavin being Gavin.”_ She turned back toward him attempting to make a joke but he could see something had happened.

_“What do you mean?_ ” He continued to push.

_“My sister went to drop the boys off at Gavin’s house since it is his night with them, and some girl answered the door. Gavin wasn’t even there, he had gone to the store to get a box of condoms and completely forgot it was his night with the kids. So now Jen is taking them with her family to see a movie, then dropping them off at my house, which is a mess. And I don’t have any dinner made because I wasn’t supposed to have them tonight. So now I need to go home and do six hundred things because my dumb ass ex-husband is too busy sleeping with bimbos.”_ Gwen stopped taking a big breath, out of air after ranting all in one breath.

Blake laughed lightly at her stopping to breathe. _“Feel better?”_

_“A little.”_ She laughed back.

_“Come on.”_ He reached for her hand, pulling her up. _“I’ll help you make dinner for the boys. I make a mean lemon chicken, and we can drink wine, and then I’ll leave so you can have the night with the boys.”_

Gwen nodded and grabbed her stuff, following him out to his car.

When they got to her house, she put on music and they danced, drank wine, and made chicken while they talked. When they finished, they sat on the couch and finished their drinks and conversation while they waited for Gwen’s sister to tell her they were on the way. When she finally arrived, Blake left and headed for his place, leaving Gwen and the boys to enjoy the meal. On the ride home, Blake thought about how much fun he has with Gwen, and how easy it all was. She had gone from being just another judge on the voice to one of his closest friends in a few weeks. As his car turned into his driveway, his phone dinged, it was from Gwen.

7:43 pm He’s here.

He stared at his phone, reading the text over and over again. _“Bill, turn the car around. We have to go back to Gwen’s.”_

Gwen stood in her kitchen, cutting the chicken, and placing it on plates for her boys. She spooned sides onto their plates as they told her about their days. As she walked over to put the plates down in front of them, she saw a car turn down the long drive that led to their house. Her heart fluttered as she realized who she thought it was. She hurried to her phone at the counter, sending Blake a text as she watched the car stop in her driveway. Gwen knew she was in for a rough night.

When Gavin came to the front door of her house, it was clear he was angry. He banged on the door, getting the attention of all of their children. Both her older sons looked to her to see what to do next. When Gwen didn’t come to the door, Gavin walked around the house to the kitchen door which he still had a key to. Gwen stood and walked to her youngest son, picking him up and holding him close as her angry husband unlocked the door. He stepped into the kitchen looking angrier then she had ever seen him.

_“Boys, take your little brother and go upstairs please. Your mother and I need to have a discussion.”_ He said to his oldest two as he glared at their mother.

Kingston and Zuma both looked from their father, to their mother, who stood holding their youngest brother, waiting for her confirmation. She turned her gaze from Gavin, catching the eyes of Kingston.

_“It’s okay honey. Take your brothers upstairs and I will be up in just a minute to read you guys a book. Okay?”_ She tried to soothe her oldest, wanting them upstairs, out of earshot and harm’s way, but Kingston still looked at her unconvinced.

_“You heard your mother. Go! Now!”_ Gavin yelled at the boys when they still didn’t move. Kingston got up first, followed hesitantly by Zuma. They walked toward their mother where Kingston grabbed Apollo, and they made their way up the stairs. Kingston took both his brothers in his bedroom and shut the door, leaving his mother alone.

_“What the hell Gwen!”_ He shouted across the room at her. _“It is my night with the boys and you just take them! After I let you stay here last night with that man. How dare you!”_ He continued to yell at her as she looked toward the stairs, praying the boys couldn’t hear their father.

_“Gavin please. Lower your voice, you’re going to upset the boys.”_ She spoke barely above a whisper, staring at the floor, trying to diffuse the situation.

_“Don’t you fucking tell me what the fuck to do.”_ He started walking towards her. _“I am your husband. You do not tell me what to do.”_ He was inches from her face now, her eyes still on the floor. She could feel the spit coming from his mouth as he berated her. _“Look at me when I am talking to you.”_ He grabbed her chin roughly and lifted it until she met his gaze.

_“Gavin my sister tried to drop the boys off, but you weren’t there, so she brought them here. You can take them tomorrow night but I don’t want to shuffle them all over the place tonight. They are confused enough as is.”_ She spoke calmly though her heart was racing in her chest.

_“So just because your little boyfriend was here last night, you think you are the man now. You think you can tell me where to go when, and take my children from me whenever you want to?”_ He grabbed her arm pushing her backward until her back hit the wall.

_“Gavin stop. The boys are upstairs.”_

_“Whose fault is that Gwen. They could be at my house right now but you made this decision. You made me come over here to get them and I’m starting to think I know why. You’re getting lonely in this big house all alone. You miss having a real man in the house. That big ass man you had here last night didn’t satisfy you so you had to go and bring me over.”_

He leaned against her, pushing her into the wall, giving her no place to go.

_“Gavin, stop. I don’t want you here.”_

Kingston listened from the top of the stairs to his parents fight. He heard his mom in trouble and ran into his bedroom, pinching Apollo’s arm, causing him to scream out for his mom. Gwen and Gavin heard the scream and crying from downstairs, but he didn’t move.

_“Gavin let me go check on Apollo.”_

_“Trying to tell me what to do again I see.”_

Blake’s SUV pulled in outside of Gwen’s house. With all the lights on, he could see straight through her kitchen. He didn’t see any sign of Gwen, Gavin, or the kids. He walked around to the side door to the kitchen and looked in the window. Seeing Gavin pressed against Gwen almost made him physically sick.

_“Get off me Gavin.”_ Gwen pushed him back with all her strength, causing him to stumble backward and bump into the table, sending a glass to the floor. _“If you don’t leave I am going to call the cops.”_ She knew immediately that this was the wrong thing to say to him. Then the kitchen door banged open.

_“Gavin, she was crystal clear. Leave now.”_ He picked up the baseball bat Gwen had discarded by the door the night Gavin came home drunk. _“I’m gonna give you ten seconds just because I am such a nice guy.”_

_“Ahh boyfriend is back. Here to cheat with my wife again.”_ Gavin turned to look at him.

_“Ten”_ Blake stepped into the house. _“Nine”._

_“Fine, I’m gonna go.”_ Gavin turned back to Gwen. _“But don’t think this conversation is over Gwen.”_

_“Eight.”_

_“Alright, alright. I’m going.”_ He stormed out the door, slamming it behind him, shaking the whole house and making Apollo wail louder upstairs.

Blake walked to the window, watched him get in his car and drive away, before putting the bat down and turning to find Gwen halfway up the stairs in search of her children. He followed her up, stopping her before she got to Kingston’s door.

_“Hold on a second, Gwen.”_ He touched her shoulder, turning her around. _“Oh Gwen.”_ He looked at the bruise forming on her jaw line from Gavin. Tears started rolling down her face and he pulled her in for a hug. He walked her over to the wall and they sat down against it. Her head on his shoulder as she cried.

_“It’s okay Gwen, just take a second. The boys are fine.”_ He rubbed soothing circles on her hand as he spoke softly to her.

The bedroom door opened and he head snapped up. She wiped her face as Kingston peeked his head out of his room, Apollo still crying in the background, seeing his mom and walked out toward her. He walked up to her and reached for her, crawling into her lap. She held him and stroked his hair, letting her head fall back on Blake’s shoulder. They sat for a few seconds before Kingston started to speak.

_“I’m sorry about Apollo. I pinched him.”_ His voice broke as he spoke to Gwen. _“I thought if I made him cry, you would come up and daddy would stop yelling.”_ Gwen started to cry again at her child’s words.

_“it’s okay buddy, it worked. Daddy left. It’s just us now.”_ She continued to stroke his hair as he laid there crying now with her. _“Why don’t you bring me Apollo and you and Zuma come downstairs and we will snuggle up on the couch and watch a movie?”_

_“Okay mommy”_ Kingston slowly got up and went into his room, carrying his youngest brother out to his mother, pulling Zuma by the hand.

_“Who is that?”_ Zuma asked with watery eyes.

_“This is Blake. He is going to watch a movie with us okay?”_ Gwen smiled at her boys, taking Apollo and soothing him.

_“Okay mommy”_

_“Okay. Why don’t you boys take Blake and go downstairs and pick out a movie, I will change Apollo’s diaper and meet you down there?”_ Zuma grabbed Blake’s hand, leading his down the stairs after Kingston.

When Gwen finally came down the stairs with Apollo, the boys had already picked a movie. They were sitting on the couch while Blake got it started. Gwen walked into the room and sat Apollo down with his brothers.

_“I’m going to go make us some popcorn, alright boys. I’ll be right back.”_ Gwen walked toward the kitchen. Blake played the movie, then followed Gwen into the kitchen.

_“Hey, are you okay?”_ He asked as he walked in and saw her unwrapping a bag of popcorn.

_“Thank you for walking in when you did. I didn’t think he was going to leave.”_ She tried to hold herself together for her boys. Blake walked over to her and pulled her into a hug.

_“I am so glad you are okay Gwen.”_ He held her for another second then pulled back, looking down at her, wanted to know she really was okay. They locked eyes, Gwen’s conveying fierceness, Blake’s admiration. Blake kissed Gwen lightly, giving her the chance to pull away if she didn’t feel what he did. When she didn’t, but chose to deepen it, Blake knew he had made the right decision. They pulled away when the microwave beeped. He pecked her lips and let her go so she could retrieve the popcorn for the boys. As she walked ahead of him back into the living room, his hand lightly on her lower back, stepping back from her when they reached the boy, not wanting to intrude. Gwen looked up at him and smiled, thinking about how happy he made her on such a dark night. She sat on the couch perpendicular to the boys, patting the seat next to her, indicating Blake should sit here. He crossed the living room and sat down but left space, ever the gentleman, aware of the young eyes in the room. However, he put one arm around the back of the sofa behind her, leaving room if she didn’t like it, but she leaned back into it. And he smiled at the TV screen, thinking about how happy he was.


	7. Chapter 7

All three boys fell asleep around forty-five minutes into the movie. Usually when this happened, Gwen had to carry all three boys up the stairs to their beds by herself which was becoming quite the task with her older two. But luckily there was a big cowboy sitting to her left, who offered to do it before she even got up. He pulled her into his side, kissing the top of her head. Then stood, grabbing her hand and pulling her up behind him. He picked up the older two boys and walked up the stairs while Gwen picked up Apollo and followed shortly behind. Once they had all three boys in their beds asleep, Gwen and Blake went back downstairs. Gwen pulled out another bottle of wine and they sat on the couch talking and drinking.

 _“You know, I wasn’t expecting you to kiss me.”_ Gwen giggled, a little tipsy after a few glasses.

 _“I know but I’m glad I did.”_ Blake poked lightly back.

_“Me too…. But what does this mean for our job?”_

_“What do you mean, what does this mean?”_ Blake looked at her seriously. _“I want to date you Gwen Stefani. I want to be your real boyfriend. And anyone who’s got a problem with that can kiss my ass.”_ He was partially joking, partially serious. _“As long as that’s okay with you.”_ Gwen giggled at his ending.

 _“Of course, it’s okay with me. Now come on, I’m getting tired and you can’t drive home. So you can spend the night in my guest room.”_ She grabbed his hand and led him up the stairs. She took him to the guest bedroom and showed him where everything was, then said good night and went back to her room. Feeling much safer in the house with him in it.

The next morning, Gwen woke to her alarm buzzing under her pillow again. She got up and got ready for the day, showering, and getting dressed. Then she knocked on the guest bedroom door and to her surprised, Blake opened it.

 _“Wow, you’re up early.”_ Gwen said as he looked her up and down.

 _“Well I am a great house guest. I thought I would help you make breakfast for the boys.”_ He stepped back into the bedroom, grabbing his phone, then following her down the stairs to the kitchen. Gwen thought back as she stepped into the kitchen, how different this was from the last time someone had slept in her guest bedroom.

Gwen started some pancakes for the boys while Blake made them both coffee. When he was finished, he walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, placing a cup of coffee on the counter to her right. He kissed her cheek and she turned in his arms.

 _“Thank you for the coffee.”_ She reached up and kissed him. As she turned back around to finish the pancakes, she took a sip of coffee. She placed some pancakes on plates for herself and Blake, which he carried out to the living room. They ate pancakes and watched the news while they talked about their days. Eventually when both plates were empty, Blake pulled Gwen into his side and she snuggled in. She looked up at him and kissed him, so content with this moment. Blake deepened the kiss and it turned into a full on make out session. When Gwen finally had to come up for air, she caught a glimpse of the clock and realized she needed to get the boys up or they would all be late. Blake had to run home and get clothes, so he didn’t show up in the same outfit as yesterday and have to do the walk of shame past Pharrell and Adam. So, they agreed to meet on set and keep their relationship under wraps for now, since Gwen’s divorced had not even been announced yet.

After dropping off all three boys, she pulled into the parking lot of “The Voice”. She put the car in park, pulled out her phone, and texted her assistant asking her to stop at her lawyer’s office on the way in and to bring the divorce papers, sole custody request paper, and a request for a restraining order. Next she texted her publicist, letting her know about the impending divorce, custody battle, and hopefully restraining order against Gavin. Finally, she texted Blake, filling him in on the situation. Then she made her way to her trailer, happy to be early so she didn’t have to see as many people.

Blake arrived half an hour after Gwen, immediately making his way to Gwen’s trailer. He knocked and walked in popping a bottle of champagne. Gwen jumped as the loud noise startled her.

 _“Opps. Sorry I didn’t mean to scare you. But I got good news this morning. And I saw the good news in your text, so I figured we deserved a celebration.”_ Blake poured the champagne in two glasses and handed one to Gwen.

 _“Blake.”_ She looked at him amusingly as he handed her the glass. _“It’s seven in the morning.”_

 _“See I knew you were going to say that and bring down the mood which is why its sparkling grape juice.”_ He pouted, then took a sip. _“So drink up.”_ Gwen smiled at him knowing her so well and took a sip.

_“So, what’s your good news Blake?”_

_“Miranda signed the divorce papers this morning so its official. It will probably be announced later today. And I’m choosing to be happy about it because it means we are one step closer to getting to go public with our relationship.”_

_“Yay Blake! I just informed my publicist this morning so my divorce should be officially announced by the end of the week, as long as Gavin doesn’t blurt it out earlier.”_

_“Yay. Then we can go on a real date instead of having to hide from everyone.”_

_“Well the older boys are both having sleepovers tonight so after I put Apollo down, we could have a semi-date night”_ She tried to make it sound fun even though she wished they could go out on a real date too. _“I promise after it’s announced and we have a custody agreement, it will be so much better.”_

 _“I’ll take what I can get for now I guess”_ Blake stood and kissed the top of her head.

 _“Remember, there is none of that on set Blake.”_ Gwen said over her shoulder as she started putting her makeup on and Blake started for the door.

 _“I know, I know. I’m going to go get ready hon’, I’ll see you out there.”_ Blake said as he walked out the door.

 _“None of that either.”_ Gwen shouted out the door after him as she blushed at the nickname. He never felt that way when Gavin called her that. She was starting to think she was really falling for that cowboy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and let me know what all of you think! I wrote all 7 of these chapters in the same day, so before I start posting the next clump, I want some feedback. Thanks for reading!!!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am continuing the story since you guys seem to like it okay. Please let me know what you guys think as you read. I will keep adding chapters as I finish them.

Two weeks later, Gwen’s divorce was officially announced in the media. She tried to prepare the boys for the impending backlash as best she could, but she woke up to forty-five messages, she knew the articles were worse than she anticipated. She groaned, tossing her phone toward the end of the bed and closing her eyes again. As Gwen willed herself to get up and get ready for work, she thought about all the looks she would get at work today, the pity, the questions if she was okay, she didn’t want to deal with any of it. She wanted to curl up in a ball under the covers with her three boys and hide from the world until everyone moved on to the next story. She looked at the clock, deciding she would allow herself to lay in bed for ten more minutes feeling sorry for herself, then she really had to get up. Staring at the ceiling replaying the last few months of hell in her head, she let the tears slowly roll down her face. Then, she was startled by the sound of her phone ringing. She wiped her face with her hands and slammed her fist down on the bed next to her, angry at the intrusion. She sat up and reached for her phone, looking at the screen, seeing it was Blake calling, her face softened. She tried to pull herself together as best she could and answered his call.

_“Hello?”_

_“Hey honey.”_ His southern accent coming through the speaker of the phone. _“Just calling to see how you were doing. I know how hard it was for me when it was officially announced.”_

_“Hey cowboy.”_ Gwen tried to keep her voice from wavering so he wouldn’t know she had been crying. She took a deep breath and continued. _“I’m okay. I was just about to get up.”_ Her voice cracked a little at the end and she knew he would see straight through it.

_“Oh Gweny. I know how much it sucks. The day mine was announced, I would have gotten lost at the bottom of a bottle had you not been there.”_ He heard her start to cry as he spoke. _It’s gonna be okay honey, I promise.”_

_“I haven’t even read what they are saying.”_ Her voice broke as she started to cry harder. _“But I woke up to a bunch of messages this morning, so I know it’s bad. I need to prepare the boys.”_

_“I’m sorry Gwen. Don’t read any of it, okay? Just get ready, take the boys to school, then meet me in your trailer and we can do it together, okay?”_ He spoke softly to her, trying to calm her down and provide comfort from across town was proving difficult. He waited for her response.

_“Okay.”_ Her soft voice finally came through the phone. _“I’ll meet you there in an hour.”_

_“Okay. See you soon, Gwen.”_

When Gwen arrived to set, she put her hat on, putting her game face on, and steeling herself for the walk to her trailer. As she climbed out of her truck and made her way through the hectic set, she kept her head down and eyes on her phone, only making short acknowledgements to those that spoke to her. She silently thanked god when she finally caught sight of the door to her trailer, speeding up a little, eager to get to its safety. When suddenly, her view was blocked by Adam stepping into her path, causing her to stop.

_“Hey Gwen.”_ He greeted her kindly, but she could see the pity in his eyes. Gwen sighed internally, knowing she would have to deal with this all day. _“How you doing?”_

_“I’m doing great but I am running late so I’ll have to talk to you later, okay? I’m sorry.”_ She brushed past him, leaving him standing alone and confused, continuing her mission to get to her trailer.

When she finally reached the door, she opened it, stepping in quickly and immediately shutting it behind her. She sighed, leaning against the door, letting her head fall back and her eyes close.

_“Well, look who’s running late today.”_ Gwen’s eyes snapped open at the sound of her ex-husband’s voice in her trailer. She locked eyes with him as he sat perched on the couch.

_“Who let you in here, Gavin? What are you even doing here?”_ She stayed by the door, crossing her arms across her chest defensively, wanting to have a quick exit if she needed it.

_“I just wanted to discuss a schedule for the kids until you decide to stop throwing a tantrum and let me back in the house.”_ He stared into her eyes as he spoke, watching her squirm slightly as he spoke. His words cutting deep. _“Everyone knows you are just doing this for attention.”_

_“You can have the boys Friday after school, Saturday, and Sunday. I will take them during the school week so they keep their normal schedules.”_ She suppressed her impulse to throw a biting comment back at him, keeping her side of the conversation civil.

_“I guess that will work, since it is just temporary.”_ He emphasized the end of his sentence, holding her gaze.

_“No, Gavin. It is not temporary. We are getting divorced. I don’t want to be married to you anymore.”_ She spoke in short, declarative sentences to stress the seriousness of her words.

_“You are going to tear this family apart for your own selfish reasons. Don’t you care about the boys at all.”_ He knew exactly how much he would hurt her by bringing the boys into it, knowing exactly the buttons to push after thirteen years of marriage.

_“Gavin. You slept with the boy’s nanny. A woman I have hugged and spoke to at length. You cheated not me. You do not want to get into whose fault this is with me. You don’t!”_ She raised her voice as she finished. She turned and left, leaving Gavin in her trailer. She didn’t know where to go, but knew he wouldn’t leave, so she headed for Blake’s trailer.

Knocking, Gwen stood at the door biting her lip until Blake swung the door open. She walked in, shutting the door behind her and walking to sit on his couch.

_“Gavin’s in my trailer.”_ She said quietly, looking down at her hands.

_“What the hell! I’m gonna go throw his ass off this set.”_ Blake stood quickly, the anger in him rising in kind.

_“No Blake, stop.”_ She caught his wrist. _“I called security and they are going to take care of it. No reason to cause more drama. Just sit down.”_ He grabbed Gwen’s hands, pulling her up off the couch and into his arms. As he leaned down to kiss her, Gwen pulled away.

_“Stop, Blake. I can’t right now. I am still married technically, and we can’t be doing this.”_ She pushed him away, going to the door, pausing with her hand on the doorknob for a second, putting her game face back on, and walked out, leaving a confused and sad Blake standing alone.


	9. Chapter 9

The rest of the workday was uneventful. Gwen avoided Blake, only interacting with the other judges when necessary to avoid suspicion. Blake would look down the row of judges occasionally, hoping to catch her attention, but she wouldn’t look at him. When they were finally released for the day, Gwen quickly headed for her trailer, wanting to get home as fast as possible. The rest of the judges went to the couches between all their trailers and sat, talking and cracking jokes, blowing off steam before they all headed home for the day.

 _“Hey, do you guys think one of us should go check on Gwen?”_ Adam said when the conversation lulled. _“I tried to talk to her this morning, but she was in a rush, and she’s been acting weird all day.”_

 _“I think we should just let her be guys.”_ Blake spoke up, wanting to give Gwen some space, knowing she was probably exhausted after the events of the day.

 _“Did anyone find out what actually happened? I know what the media says but do either of you know the real story?”_ Pharrell asked looking to both his coworkers. When neither responded, he tried a more direct approach. _“Blake, you guys have been hanging out more. Did she mention anything to you?”_

Blake knew Pharrell’s question was meant to be innocent, but he couldn’t betray Gwen’s trust. _“Nope, didn’t say a thang.”_ He hoped the white lie would be enough to get the attention off him, feeling his cheeks reddening under Adam and Pharrell’s gaze,

 _“I heard she cheated on him.”_ Adam interjected with the gossip he heard on set. _“And he left her as soon as he found out.”_

 _“I don’t think that is what happened. Where did you hear that from?”_ Blake tried to hide the anger in his voice at his gossiping friend.

 _“Just around set.”_ Adam said, shrugging his shoulders.

 _“That’s not what happened.”_ The sound of Gwen’s voice caused all three of their heads to snap up. _“If you wanted to know the real story, you could have just asked.”_

_“Gwen, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean...” Adam started_

_“He cheated on me.”_ Gwen interrupted. “ _I kicked him out. Now we are divorcing. That is everything you need to know.”_ She looked purposefully at Adam and Pharrell as she spoke, never looking to Blake. Then she turned and walked away.

 _“Gwen, I’m so sorry.”_ Adam called after her to no avail. _“Well fuck.”_ He cursed to know one in particular after she had left.

 _“That certainly didn’t help.”_ Blake said, standing, and heading for his trailer, leaving the other two couches looking shell shocked on the couch.

Blake grabbed his things and headed for his awaiting car. The whole ride to his house, he stared at her contact in his phone, wanting to call or text her to make sure she was okay, but wanting to give her the space she wanted. When he finally arrived home, he decided he would wait to see if she would contact him first, knowing she had the boys tonight and not wanting to interrupt her time with them. When she still hadn’t texted or called at eleven, he broke down and was about to send her a text, but before he could, he got one from Adam.

_11:04 pm Have you seen it?_

He read the text over a few times, trying to figure out what Adam was talking about.

_11:06 pm Seen what?_

_11:07 pm The article about Gwen… you should look at it._

As he read Adam’s response, his mind started to race. He wondered what could be bad enough that Adam would say he needed to read it. His phone buzzed again, bringing him out of his thoughts, he looked down to see another text from Adam. His jaw dropped at the headline of the article.

_11:07 pm_ Breaking News: Exclusive Interview with Gavin Rossdale, first time speaking out since split with wife, Gwen Stefani

He clicked the link and opened the article. As his eyes scanned the words, he grew more and more angry. He sent a quick text back to Adam.

_11:10 pm That little snake_

Blake clicked on Gwen’s contact, deciding he couldn’t wait to talk to her anymore. He sent her a short text.

_11:13 pm Hey, are you still awake?_

He stared at his phone screen, waiting for a response, praying she would answer him.

_11:27 pm Yes. -Gx_

This simple response made him so happy, even if she didn’t seem eager to speak to him, he was just so happy she had answered.

_11:28 pm Can I call?_

This text was risky, and he knew it, but he figured he could get through to her better if she could hear his voice.

_11:35 pm Sure. -Gx_

Not two minutes after she sent the text, her phone rang. She took a deep breath and answered.

 _“Hey Gwen.”_ He was careful to use her name, not wanting to spook her and have her hang up on him before they got to really talk.

 _“Hey Blake.”_ He could hear she had been crying from the gravely sound of her voice.

 _“Are the boys asleep?”_ He asked, wanting to make sure they were okay.

 _“Yeah.”_ Gwen tried to keep her responses brief, hoping she could get off the phone quickly.

_“How are you holding up?”_

Gwen choked back a sob at the question, pulling the phone from her ear and putting it by her side as she tried to hold it together. Blake listened closely, waiting for her to pick the phone back up. A minute later, Gwen put the phone back to her ear, Blake heard her exhale slowly, trying to calm herself.

 _“I’m coming over, okay?”_ He asked sweetly, already grabbing his keys and coat, heading for his door. She choked back another sob at this but didn’t refuse, so he took this as a yes. “I’ll be there in fifteen. See you soon.” 


	10. Chapter 10

When Blake arrived at Gwen’s house, all the lights were off. He sent her a text, letting her know he was outside, not wanting to ring the doorbell and wake the boys.

_11:59 pm I’m outside_

He shut his engine off, walking to her front door, looking down at his phone for a response. He looked up, hearing the sound of the door unlocking. Gwen opened the door slowly, stepping back behind the door as she did, opening it just enough for Blake to slip in. She shut it behind him, locking the door. As she turned to look at Blake, his heart broke. She was wearing a fuzzy robe and slippers, her hair was up in a messy bun, and he could see the path of the tears that had streamed down her face.

 _“Oh Gweny, I’m so sorry.”_ It was clear she had seen the article as well. He reached his hand out, inviting her to take his but giving her room to refuse. She looked up, meeting his eyes, then looking back at his hand. She reached out and grabbed his hand, letting him tug her gently, pulling her to the couch. She sat, waiting for him to do the same.

 _“Hold on, I’ll be right back.”_ He went into the kitchen, leaving her on the couch.

When he returned, he had two glasses, a bottle of wine, a tub of ice cream with two spoons, and a blanket from the other couch. He draped the blanket over Gwen, sitting down a cushion over from her. He poured each of them a glass, handing her one, and taking a sip.

 _“Do you want to talk about it?”_ He asked looking over to her. He watched as she pulled her knees up to her chest under the blanket, taking a sip from her glass. He hated when she sat like that. It made her look so small, not like the funny, confident, happy, person he had come to know. He handed her a spoon and put the tub of ice cream on the seat between them.

 _“You read it, right? So you know what he said.”_ She put a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth.

 _“Yes, I did. And anyone who reads it will know what total bullshit it is.”_ She snorted at his comment, getting another spoonful of ice cream and washing it down with some wine. _“I promise Gwen, anyone who knows you will know it’s just Gavin being an ass.”_ He tried again.

_“That’s the problem though, Blake. It won’t just be people who know me that will read that article.”_

_“Okay, so release your own statement. Tell the people everything. You have a ton of people that can back you up who saw it all firsthand.”_

_“What will that do?”_ She was defeated, wanting this all to be over. _“Then it will just be my word versus his. It’s not worth it.”_

 _“It’s not you word versus his Gwen. There are a ton of people who would stand up for you. You can fight this.”_ He tried to catch her gaze. _“What does your publicist have to say?”_

_“She wants me to release a statement too.”_

_“Maybe just think about it, Gwen. It is your decision, not anyone else’s. But I will have your back if you decide to do it.”_ He smiled at her when she looked up at him.

They talked for a few more hours on the couch, finishing the bottle of wine. Gwen invited him to spend the night again in her guest bedroom, and they headed upstairs around 2:30am. She climbed into bed utterly exhausted. She stared at the ceiling for half an hour, her mind not allowing her to fall asleep despite her body screaming with fatigue. The words of the article playing over in her head.

_“unfaithful throughout our marriage” “it was a marriage full of lies” “I could never trust her” “trying to keep my boys from me” “I am suing for custody” “I think she’s going crazy”_

The one that stuck the most in her head was the last line of the article. _“It makes you wonder if she is still fit to parent her three young boys”_

That sentence struck her the hardest as it was the biggest fear she had been worrying about since she first kicked Gavin out of the house. She started to cry again as she laid in her bed alone, wondering what happened to her life, and what she was going to do now that Gavin had told the world she was a terrible, lying, cheating, person who was unfit to mother her boys.

As Blake laid in the guest bed, he listened to the sound of Gwen crying. He debated internally whether he should go in to comfort her, or if she would get upset. He was unsure where they stood after she pushed him away this morning. Deciding he couldn’t just lay there and listen to her cry, he got up and walked to Gwen’s room, stopping outside the door. He put his hand on the doorknob, taking a breath, he opened the door.

Gwen heard the door open, assuming it was one of her kids, she rolled over to see who it was. She was surprised when her eyes met Blake’s, only his head visible, poking around the door.

 _“Can I come in?”_ He stayed in the doorway, waiting for her response.

 _“I guess.”_ Gwen responded quietly. She wiped her face with the blanket, sitting up and turning her attention to him.

 _“I couldn’t just sit in there, listening to you cry.”_ He walked toward her bed slowly as he spoke to her. _“So, I thought we could at least cry together.”_ She giggled softly at his comment. Gwen scooted to the right side of the bed, pulling the covers back on the left, indicating he could climb in. He got under the covers, staying firmly on his side of the bed, not wanting to push her when she had already allowed more than he thought she would. He reached under the covers, feeling blindly for her hand. Gwen moved her hand to meet his, intertwining their fingers, they fell asleep. The silent comfort from Blake being enough to allow Gwen to finally fall asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

When Gwen’s alarm buzzed on the table next to Blake’s head, he opened his eyes slowly. Realizing where he was, he sat bolt upright in the bed, looking to his right, seeing a sleeping Gwen next to him. He looked down, making sure he was dressed, then looking to Gwen and seeing she was as well. He reached for her phone, turning the alarm off.

 _“Gwen”_ He touched her shoulder and her eyes slammed open. _“It’s okay, nothing happened.”_ He tried to soothe her worries before she freaked out. He realized he was very unsuccessful when she jumped out of the bed and ran for the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

 _“Get out!”_ She yelled from behind the door.

 _“Gwen, I’m so sorry. I meant to go back to the guest room after you fell asleep, but I must have fallen asleep too. I’m so sorry I scared you.”_ He tried to comfort with her through the door, walking towards it as he spoke. _“Gwen, please open the door. I’m sorry.”_

Gwen opened the door, looking him in the eyes, tears glistening in the corners of her brown eyes.

 _“No one has slept with me in that bed since the last night Gavin stayed here.”_ Her voice cracked as she spoke, leaving Blake unsure of how to respond.

 _“I’m sorry, I should have left and went back to the guest room.”_ He tried again.

 _“It’s fine. Just go downstairs and I’ll be down soon.”_ She shut the door before he could say anything, clearly shaken by the sight of him in her bed this morning. Feeling defeated and regretful, Blake went back to the guest room, getting ready and heading down to the kitchen. He made both of them a cup of coffee and sat at the table, waiting for her to come down.

When Gwen came down twenty minutes later, she saw Blake sitting at her table with a cup of coffee waiting for her.

 _“I’m sorry I freaked out this morning.”_ She said as she walked into the kitchen, heading straight for the cabinets, getting bowls down for the boys.

 _“No, you don’t need to apologize. I should have known it would surprise you. Especially everything you have gone through with Gavin.”_ He stood from the table and walked toward her, coffee for her in hand. He handed her the cup, putting his hand on her shoulder, giving a gentle squeeze and a light tug, allowing her to resist if she wanted. He was pleasantly surprised when she didn’t, allowing him to wrap his arms around her. He held her tight, kissing the top of her head. She put her coffee on the counter and wrapped her arms around him. They stood for a few minutes, reveling in the moment, before she pulled away, telling him she needed to go wake the boys. He leaned in to kiss her goodbye and she reciprocated.

 _“I’ll meet you at work, okay?”_ He said as he went to the door and she headed for the stairs.

 _“Okay, bye hon’.”_ She threw the comment over her shoulder casually as she climbed the stairs.

He paused at the door, smiling at the name she called him. The whole ride back to his house, he thought about how unhappy he had been when he was going through this point in his divorce and how much she had helped him to get through it. She would make him laugh when he was in a bad mood, comfort him when he was down, and keep him from losing himself in the bottom of a bottle. She really had saved him. Now, he decided, it was his turn to help her through it.

When Blake arrived at work, he saw Gwen’s car already parked in the lot, and headed straight for her trailer. He knocked, not waiting for a response, he opened the door and walked in. Gwen was sitting on the couch, engrossed in something on her phone. She looked up as he walked in. He smiled at her, but it quickly faded when he saw the look on her face.

 _“Come look at this.”_ She said without looking back up at him. He crossed the room, sitting next to her on the couch, looking down at the screen of her iPhone. Gwen was reading the messages she had received over the last two days from everyone who had seen the announcement, then the article from Gavin.

_“Oh Gwen, don’t read those. It’s just going to upset you.”_

_“Read this one.”_ She pointed to a message from Gavin.

_7:40 pm If you think this is bad, just wait until they find out who you’re screwing._

Blake rubbed her back as she leaned forward, putting her head in her hands.

 _“I think I’m going to be sick.”_ She stood quickly, running towards the bathroom in her trailer, making it to the toilet just as she started throwing up. Blake quickly got up and followed her into the bathroom, pulling her hair out of her face and rubbing soothing circles on her back as she emptied her stomach. When she had nothing left, she sat back against the wall, closing her eyes. He got a washcloth, wetting it with cold water, and handed it to her to wipe her face, sitting on the floor next to her.

_“You should go get ready Blake. You’re going to be late. I’ll meet you on set.”_

_“Are you crazy Gwen? I’m not leaving you here.”_

_“I’m fine now Blake. I have nothing left to throw up. I’m just going to sit here for a few more minutes, then I’m going to fix my makeup and go out to set. You, however, are not even close to ready. You need to go get ready. I’ll be fine.”_ She looked him in the eyes as she finished speaking, trying to convey that she was okay.

 _“Okay, I’m going. But we need to talk about this later.”_ He got up off the floor, walking out of the bathroom and returning seconds later with a bottle of water for Gwen. He bent down, placing a kiss on the top of her head, then left for his dressing room.


	12. Chapter 12

Blake kept a close eye on Gwen throughout the morning, counting down the minutes until their lunch break. When they were finally released, all the judges made their way back to their trailers, then out to the couches to eat together. When Gwen didn’t come out, Blake spoke up.

 _“I’m going to go see where she went.”_ He said to Adam and Pharrell who were in the middle of a debate about the best kind of pizza. They simply nodded their heads and kept talking as Blake walked toward Gwen’s trailer.

When he walked in, Gwen was sitting on the couch, lunch untouched on her table. She had her head leaning back against the back of the couch, with her eyes closed.

 _“Gwen”_ He tried not to startle her as he closed the door behind him. Her eyes opened and she meet his eyes. _“Where did you go? Are you coming out to eat with us?”_

 _“Yeah. I was just a little dizzy, so I was sitting for a second.”_ She leaned forward, bracing her hands on the couch by her side, and standing slowly. Blake could see she was moving slower than normal.

 _“Have you had anything to eat since breakfast?”_ He asked already knowing the answer.

 _“No.”_ She replied, walking toward the door where he was still standing.

 _“You threw up everything in your stomach earlier. You need to eat something before you pass out.”_ Blake spoke as she passed him and went out the door. He turned his gaze to her unopened lunch still sitting on the table. He walked over to it, picking it up and following her out the door.

Gwen sat with the other coaches, talking when she was spoken to, but not her normal bubbly self. She cracked a few jokes, trying to hide it, but Blake saw right through her façade. As everyone finished their lunches, Blake looked over to see she hadn’t eaten anything from her lunch but the crackers that came with her salad. They all got up, throwing their trash away and headed to their trailers for a few minutes before they had to get back to set. Once everyone had gone into their respective trailers, Blake grabbed a bottle of sprite and some crackers, heading to Gwen’s trailer.

 _“I brought this in case you are still hungry.”_ Blake spoke into the empty room. Seeing the bathroom door was closed, he set the stuff on her table and walked over to the door. _“Are you okay, Gwen?”_ He knocked lightly as he spoke.

 _“Yeah. That lunch just didn’t agree with me.”_ She said weakly through the door, the vomiting clearly wearing her out. He opened the door, seeing her seated on the floor next to the toilet again, her head resting on her knees which were pulled tightly against her chest.

 _“You didn’t eat any of your lunch.”_ He stated bluntly. _“I brought you some crackers and sprite which should settle your stomach darlin’.”_ He crossed the bathroom, sitting next to her, putting his arm around her shoulders. _“I know you hate being babied, but I’m starting to get worried.”_

 _“I’m okay honey. It’s just stress.”_ Her voice muffled by her knees as she spoke. _“I’m sorry about Gavin. He is going to ruin this just to get back at me.”_

 _“He is not to ruin anything. It’s not your fault. So what if he tells people that we are together. We are just two people, who found each other while going through something terrible.”_ He pulled her closer to him. Gwen rested her head on his shoulder.

_“Once it gets out Blake, the media is going to have a lot of opinions. They will say two months wasn’t long enough for me, and three wasn’t long enough for you. They are going to criticize everything. And I still have to try to explain this to the boys. This whole thing is just such a mess.”_

_“It’s going to be okay hon. I promise. Who cares what they say? Let them talk.”_

They sat like that until they had to go back out to set. By the end of the day, Gwen had decided she was going to release a statement, wanting to get her side out there before Gavin had a chance to release another statement. When the judges were finally released for the day, she headed for her trailer. She sat at her table, typing her statement, and sending it to her publicist. Then, she texted Blake, letting him know she had sent it, and attaching the statement to her text, before heading out the door, still feeling terrible and just wanting to see her babies.

By the time Gwen had got home from picking up the boys, she had multiple messages from her publicist and Blake. She put dinner on the table for the kids, then stood at the counter reading the messages. Her publicist was very happy Gwen had decided to make a statement. She told Gwen that she had reached out to a few of her friends and family for statements and that all the statements would be included in an article released the next morning. Blake told her how proud and happy he was for her, asking how she was feeling. She responded to him, saying she felt better and asking him to come over after 9:30pm so they could talk. Then Gwen made the risky decision to text Gavin back.

_6:40 pm We have never slept together Gavin. He is just a friend who is going through something similar. If you go and tell everyone we are, you will be lying to everyone. I was never unfaithful to you Gavin._

She sent the text and put her phone down, turning her full attention to her babies. She decided she was going to have the discussion with her boys tonight. Gwen wanted the older two to understand why she was making a statement about their father, and to try to prepare them for potential backlash they would hear at school the next day about both parent’s statements. At the end of their discussion, she hugged both boys, sending them up to their rooms for bed. As she got up and started to clean up, Kingston turned around.

“You know mom, if you and Blake want to be boyfriend and girlfriend, I would be okay with that. I don’t like when you’re sad, and when he is here you smile.” Gwen looked at her little nine-year-old with tears in her eyes. He hugged her again, bounding up the stairs after his brother.


End file.
